This recipe for Florentine squares is definitely a keeper! They are so quick and easy to whip up and you only need 5 ingredients!
Before this year the last time I made Florentines was in high school! They were good to eat but I remember them being a bit fiddly to make. Back then we made traditional Florentines which are round. This meant that we had to get the right amount of mixture so that the Florentines were all the same size and shape. Something that I’m not always good at!
This recipe for Florentine squares is the exact opposite of fiddly though. You pretty much mix four ingredients up in a bowl and then press the mixture into a baking pan and bake! No need to worry about making individual biscuits!
After baking it is easy to cut up into squares. Just remember to allow it to cool to room temperature first; it stays soft until it cools. Traditionally Florentines have a chocolate coated base and I think that takes them to the next level. I even like to put the squiggly lines in the chocolate with a fork. I can remember doing that at school! You can leave the chocolate off if you prefer they’re yummy even without it!
These Florentine squares remind me of a chocolate covered breakfast bar. They’re chewy rather than crunchy and they are nice and sweet. I wouldn’t say that they were healthy but there are worse things to be snacking on!
They would be great as a lunch box treat or as an after school treat. They’re also great for anyone who needs a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. I like to have a square (or two!) to help me get through till dinner!
I made these Florentine squares in a 23 cm (9 inch) square baking tin but I have also used a rectangular slice tin. As long as the area of your tin (length X width) is similar to a 23 cm square one you will be fine. I have combined ideas from two recipes to make these Florentine squares. One was a traditional Florentines biscuit recipe and the other was cut from a Kellogg’s cereal packet!
Now that I have this recipe I don’t think that Florentines are hard to make anymore. I know that I’ll be making these again!
- 2½ cups (185g) of crushed cornflakes
- ¾ cup (135g) of sultanas
- ½ cup (95g) of chopped glace cherries
- ⅔ cup (230g) of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 heaped cup (200g) of dark or milk chocolate melts
- Line a 23 cm (9 inch) square baking tin* with baking paper and preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
- Combine the cornflakes, sultanas, cherries, and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and mix well.
- Press the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely in the tin before removing and cutting into squares.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
- Spread melted chocolate over the underside of the squares (for this step I dip each square into the melted chocolate and then spread it with a flat butter knife).
- To decorate the underside of each square use the tines of a fork to make a swirling pattern in the chocolate before it sets (optional).
Hi, I'm Kaylene, and I'm a keen gardener,budding baker and wannabe DIYer!
I love your recipes , quick and easy
Thank you so much
Glad you like them Lee! I love baking but I’m not a fan of complicated recipes so mine are almost always quick and easy! 😉
These are absolutely delicious. Thank you for a brilliant and easy recipe. How long will they keep in a tin?
Hi Jane, glad you liked them! I have only ever kept mine for 4 or 5 days but I’m pretty sure they would keep for a week if you store them in an airtight container.
‘Bake’ is that in oven ? If so what temptature
As you can tell I’m not a baker but would like to try this
Hi Risemary, yes you need to bake these squares in the oven at 180 °C (350 °F). You will see in the recipe that you should preheat your oven and prepare your baking tin before you start mixing the ingredients. I hope this helps!
Do you store florentines in fridge?
Hi Libby, I usually just store these at room temperature in an airtight container. They should be fine like that for 4 or 5 days. If it was really hot weather you could probably store them in the fridge to stop the chocolate melting!